


Song of the Arcane

by SongsofSirenSouls



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Will likely be Canon Divergent, You can't marry someone you've only known for a day, but oh how I wish you could
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-06 10:04:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14639553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SongsofSirenSouls/pseuds/SongsofSirenSouls
Summary: In Vesuvia, mystery rules as the murderer of Count Lucio remains unpunished and at large. It is up to a talented, but untested apprentice magician to discover the secrets that have remained buried in the years since the Count's untimely demise. This is the story of Reia.





	1. Market Day

**Author's Note:**

> This work is currently un-beta'd, so all the mistakes are mine. Also, while the character of Reia is mine, everything else belongs to the fabulous folks of Nix Hydra and the glory that is their visual novel, The Arcana. I'm just playing in their sandbox. 
> 
> I have only played one route so far, so I'm playing fast and loose with the canon, since I don't have a full scope of the story yet, hence the "Canon Divergent" tag. I will also add more tags as they apply.
> 
> This started as a way to flesh out my MC and I liked where it went. I hope you enjoy!

It was a universally acknowledged fact among the citizens of Vesuvia, regardless of the views of the nobility who sat in their grand palace of alabaster spires and golden domes, that the true heart of the city was the lower Day Market. It was in the air that pressed down, warm and thick with dust. The scent of a thousand exotic spices from faraway lands mixed with the ever-present tang of the sea. It was in the cries of merchants, customers, and livestock, each battled for auditory supremacy. Here, among crumbling stucco and sandstone, beneath tattered stalls of wood and cloth, the very lifeblood of the great port city ebbed and flowed.

Reia loved it. The great cacophony of sights, smells, and sounds blended together until the Market seemed a living, breathing entity, pulsing with a wild, primordial energy. And, as with any place where so much life congregated together, magic bloomed. Reia felt it, the slight tingle in her fingertips, a near constant buzz in the back of her skull, like the purr of a contented cat. Magic blossomed everywhere and threw tendrils of power outward, into the very stone beneath her feet.

Reia wandered down the rough cobblestones of the Spicer’s row, paced with the flow of her fellow shoppers. She glanced, from time to time, at what the merchants had on offer, but did not pause. She drifted, the slight tug at the corners of her mind her guide as she searched for a particular merchant. It was not often that she was able to devote a whole day to the market, but with Asra home and minding the shop, Reia felt she could indulge in her sedate pace.

Already her basket held several bundles of fragrant cinnamon and clove, as well as the strong black tea that Reia favored. She paused before a stall with a smile to the vender, one of her regular suppliers. The old man, white beard brilliant in the shade of the awning overhead, was seated behind the overflowing bags of cumin and dill seed. Reia stepped into the cool shade of the awning, and quickly placed her order with the merchant, grin spread wide across his tanned face, eyes nearly lost in a sea of wrinkles. 

“Bit o’ a scorcher today, uh?”

She nodded in reply and the old Spicer began to fill her order, scooping up handfuls of cumin seed into small cloth bundles. Reia adjusted the fraying length of blue cotton, draped around her head and shoulders, as she waited. The cowl was an annoyance to be sure, but a necessary one. It protected her fair skin from the punishing midday sun, which beat relentlessly down upon the wide square that housed the lower Market.

As she tugged at the rough fabric, painstakingly embroidered with a whirling, abstract design picked out in blue and green, Reia grimaced. While her Master could spend entire days basking in the sun without thought of such protection, she had learned that the paleness of her skin meant she would burn redder than freshly boiled lobster if she didn’t take precautions. Even as she wrinkled her nose at the thought, she could feel the telltale tightness that heralded such a burn, spread across her nose and cheeks.

With the drape settled lower around her head and face, flowing to cover her bare shoulders, Reia checked the cotton wrappings that shielded her forearms and hands. The small blade she kept discreetly hidden in the bindings of the wraps remained secure, another necessary precaution. For all the guards assigned to the Market, Vesuvia was still a port city. Even in the bright light of midday, the alleyways contained shadows where more unsavory aspects crept, waiting on the unwary.

As the merchant handed Reia the bundles of spices, she pulled her coin pouch from a worn emerald sash that encircled her waist, wrapped tightly over the shabby black vest and cream-colored pants she wore. As she counted out the required payment, she shifted her right foot slightly and felt the comforting weight of her second coin pouch press against the skin of her ankle, tucked into the soft, worn leather of her boot.

Quickly the pouch was stowed back in its hidden pocket of her sash, and Reia raised a hand in farewell as she stepped back into the swirling throng passing by the stall. Dark eyes glanced about her, wary for any sign of pickpockets or cutpurses. For all the years that she had lived and worked in this city, Reia knew that her status as an apprentice magician would not protect her from the searching fingers of an enterprising thief. The first time she had returned from the Market without her purse, Asra had only chuckled softly before showing her how to conceal that which she did not wish to lose. She still blushed scarlet in remembered shame when she thought of it.

She continued down the lane, headed for the stalls and shops containing the rarer, more expensive ingredients. Ones that were used almost exclusively in spellcasting and potion making. Reia still had quite a few items left to procure before days end, as well as the list from Asra, and her pace quickened as her next destination came into view.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Reia sighed gustily, shifting the bulky weight of her basket again from where it rested against her hip. Her burden had grown considerably in the last few hours, having been loaded down with the proceeds of a very successful day. Though she did cringe slightly at the corresponding lightness of her coin purses.

_At least Asra is home, maybe I can convince him to put this lot away for me, so I can rest a bit and have a cup of tea._ _Maybe even a bath!_ Reia thought longingly. As much as she loved her days at the Market, she always felt dusty and tired afterwards. 

_That is, if he’s not planning on disappearing again as soon as I walk through the door._ Reia thought, dark brows drawn down in what could almost be a scowl at the impulsive and whimsical nature of her mentor.

She huffed out a long-suffering sigh at that particular thought, blowing strands of hair, so darkly brown that they were very nearly black, from where they drifted across her eyes. The silky stuff kept falling loose from the braid she had coiled around her head this morning, framing her face and dancing with each gust of the brine-scented breeze. With the decent of the sun behind the walls of the city, Reia had pushed the cowl shielding her head and face back over her shoulders, exposing her skin to the errant gusts that drifted up from the sea.

Quickly, she lifted a hand from where it rested against the basket and brushed the glossy curls back impatiently, tucking them firmly behind her ear for what felt like the hundredth time since she had begun the long walk back from the lower city. 

_I should just cut it, it’s almost more nonsense than it’s worth._ Reia mentally groused and grimaced as the basket dug painfully into her side. She returned her free hand to steady it, silently chiding herself for her lapse in attention.

She trudged onward over the cobbled roads, twilight drawn down around her, birthing shadows in the alleyways and side streets that periodically broke up the walls of the shopfronts and taverns that comprised this part of the city. She eyed the growing dusk wearily. She was close to her own shop now and Reia was well known in this part of the city, but it paid to be cautious. There were few who would tangle with a magician, even an apprentice, but if that apprentice was a small, pale girl, alone and bearing a heavy burden, well.

_Better to be safe and feel overcautious, then overconfident and dead_. Reia thought as she ran her tongue across dry lips, preparation to whistle up a quick spell, if need be. Her knife was a comfortable weight against her wrist, but she would have to drop the basket to retrieve it. She would be damned if she broke any of the contents she had just spent a small fortune on and then lugged all the way up from the lower city. So, magic it would be if anyone decided to get… rowdy.

Reia continued, humming under her breath in time to her steps, letting the energy of the city course through her. It was not as strong here, not like it had been in the Day Market, flushed with power of thousands of living beings, but it was still potent. With the moisture-laden breeze still baring strongly from the sea, it would be a simple thing to sing up a minor squall to drench any would-be attacker.

_Home at last!_ Reia groaned in relief when finally, after several tense moments, the brightly lit lantern that swung merrily beside her door came into view. As a smile curved her lips, Reia let her grip on the magic around her slip, the whirls of power that draped her throat and fingers dissolving back into the surrounding air.

Steps quick with the thought of warmth and tea, Reia glided up the stone steps to the door of the magical store that served as the home of Asra and herself. She rested a hand against the rough wooden surface and whistled three clear notes that pierced the silence of the street. The release for the warding etched into the stone surrounding the door frame. Silver light flared briefly, and the feel of Asra’s welcoming power flowed through Reia. 

_What perfect timing._ Reia shook her head with a laugh as she opened the latch and pushed her way into the front room. She inhaled the familiar scents of sage and sweetgrass with a happy sigh. 

“Asra!” She called out into the warm glow of the front room. “I’m home!”


	2. Visitors

Reia thudded her head softly against the solid wood of the front door. The same door she had just closed on the Lady Nadia, Countess of Vesuvia. The Countess who was rumored to rule with an iron fist and brooked neither insolence, nor failure. That same Countess wanted Reia to report to the castle in the morning, to assist with some unspecified task.

_Right. Absolutely, bloody brilliant._ She groaned, her mouth suddenly dry and tasting of ash, bitter and clotting. Reia bumped her head softly against the door again, just to drive the point home.

“Not your brightest move, Reia.” She muttered aloud to empty air. “Nothing good ever comes from common folk associating with the nobility.”

“Well, that sentiment is certainly true enough.” The voice was low and echoed in what should have been an empty room. Reia muffled the scream that had tried, as if by its own accord, to slip from between her teeth at the words, and whipped around to peer into the gloomy shadows of the dimly lit room.

_Drat it all, why did I have to put out all the lamps!_ Reia’s eyes, wide with apprehension, darted about the room, trying to pierce the familiar shadows that now seemed to cling menacingly in every corner. As she stepped quickly to the center of the room, Reia flexed her fingers, the comforting buzz of magic heavy on her palms.

“Where are you? Where are you hiding at?” She spat, turning in a slow circle. Reia flicked her fingers as she spun, flames jumping to ignite the lanterns over the glass display cases and tables. Light glinted and reflected throughout the room, creating slivers of topaz, ruby, and sapphire that danced upon the walls, and yet still she could see nothing amiss.

“Behind you…” The voice whispered into the shell of her ear, close enough that Reia could feel the warm breath of the speaker on her cheek. Reia would later swear emphatically, and much to the amusement of certain parties involved, that she actually levitated for a moment at both the sound and feel of a stranger so close.

With a strangled yelp, Reia leaped away from the source of the voice, drawing a sharp bark of laughter from the intruder. She spun on the balls of her feet, lips pursed to whistle up a spell, only to stop, mouth open and staring, shocked by the sight before her.

The figure towered over her, more than a head taller than her own modest height. Clothed in an enormous black coat, lined in scarlet satin, which only served to reinforce the impression of both great height and width, the man, for it was a man who stood before her, seemed cut from shadow, clad in a swath of starless night sky.

His sheer size would have been sufficiently intimidating, given the circumstances, but what truly caused Reia’s breath to rattle against her chest, stillborn in her throat, was the great beaked mask he wore. As bone-white as Death itself, the hooked beak of the plague doctors mask loomed above her, ruby eyes glittering menacingly in the light of the lanterns.

“Strange hours for a shop to keep. Although, not so strange if the upper crust is patronizing such a place.” The tone is mocking and Reia scowled up at the deadly visage, fear rapidly turned to anger. “Now girl, my sources say that this is the witch’s lair, so who might you be?” The voice growled out from behind the mask, as harsh as the call of a raven. Reia suppressed her first inclination to respond with a rude gesture at such a sarcastic and caustic tone. Squaring her shoulders, she met the gimlet gaze of the masked figure.

“I won’t be telling you anything!” Reia cried, hands curling into fists. She lunged at the masked figure, trying in vain to catch him off-guard.

“Ah ha!” He laughed, twisting away from her grasping fingers. “You’ve got some spunk! Let’s see what else you’ve got! En Garde!”

“You asked for it!” Reia growled, flexing her fingers. Sapphire flames danced across her palms, swirling into bright balls of light. Frost crept along the glass display cases as the temperature rapidly dropped in response to the pulse of Reia’s power. With a smooth, fluid movement, she tossed the glowing orbs towards the ducking form of the intruder.

“Oh-ho! So, been teaching you his tricks, has he?” The stranger crowed, dancing away from the magical attacks before they could reach him. He even had the impudence to bow mockingly to Reia as a particularly poorly tossed orb sailed wide, impacting against the stone wall with a sharp “snap” and burst of ice.

_He’s laughing at me. I’m chucking pure, magical energy at him, and the bastard actually has the gall to laugh at me!_ Reia ground her teeth together in frustration, mind racing, turning over the various spells that Asra had taught her.

“Unfortunately for you, little magician, I’ve seen them all before!” Reia didn’t need to see the face behind the mask to know that it bore a sneer at those words. Scorn and arrogance practically dripped from the impossibly large coat to the floor at that pronouncement.

Without warning, Reia reached behind her to a glass display case, where several large, empty bottles sat, waiting to be filled. Grasped one firmly by the neck, she threw it with all the strength she possessed, aimed squarely at the beaked mask.

As she released the bottle, Reia could not resist the urge to shout, “Here, try a little something new!” The satisfying “thump” of the bottle’s impact and the resulting shatter of glass cause Reia no small amount of pleasure, as did the sudden silence of the staggering figure before her.

“What was that about knowing all Asra’s tricks?” Reia crowed, and mentally congratulated herself on her quick thinking. The next bottle was a solid weight in her hand as the intruder straightened slowly, shards of glass dropping in a sparkling rain with the shake of his head. The pale mask, struck aside by the impact of the bottle, had landed well out of reach, and the man seemed to disregard its loss for the moment.

Bright crimson coursed down the side of his face from a laceration buried in artfully tousled auburn hair, which was rapidly darkening as blood saturated the curling strands. As the stranger raised to his full height and was illuminated by the flickering lantern light, Reia started in surprise. The man who stood before her was no unknown quantity. She recognized him, the face, the clear gray eye, wide and staring, that met her own dark gaze as she gaped at him.

“Doc… Doctor Jules?” Reia stammered, as she lowered her makeshift weapon. “Is that really you?” 


	3. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SlaveToTheMocha, rena, and Stickarooo for your lovely comments! Thank you everyone for the Kudos and the reads! 
> 
> Somewhat canon divergent here with the descriptions of the market place. Also may be a little bit spoilery for Muriel since we don't really get to know too much about him until the later books. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away.”

The words echoed across her mind as Reia awoke suddenly from a deep, dreamless sleep. The first weak rays heralding the bright, sunlit morning pierced the gloomy semi-dawn of the small, cramped room that Reia called her own, situated above the main room of the shop below.  They painted splotches of pale gold along the smooth, cool gray stone, illuminating worn tapestries and the crude wooden shelves that lined the walls, full of all manner of magical implements.

Sunlight glinted off chunks of quartz crystal, tarnished metal charms and bells, braided into strips of brightly colored cotton, that hung from pegs above the room’s only window. Spelled for good luck and protection, the “wind catchers,” as Asra called them, swayed gently in the light breeze that drifted through the small window, chiming softly. The faint rustle of bundles of drying herbs and flowers, hung from the low rafts of the ceiling above, shifting slightly in time with the breeze.

Reia groaned, pulling the pillow over her head to block out the growing light as she turned on her side. The low cot she slept on creaked loudly at the sudden motion, and Reia sighed gustily as she nestled deeper into the blankets. She could hear the first sounds of the city stirring outside, through the open window above her head. Reia pulled the pillow tighter over her, and as the words replayed over and over again in her mind, worried the corner of her lip with her teeth.

 _What could he have meant by that, I wonder?_ Reia mused. The Doctor had looked so bitter, so cold, when he said it, spitting out the words with such venom, as if they sat like poison on his tongue. _It almost sounded like some sort of curse. I wish Asra was here, he would know what to make of it._

Reia laid still for several moments, mulling over the strange man who had broken into her shop so brazenly the night before. There was something very tragic about the Doctor, for all he was a convicted murderer. That thought cause Reia to pause in her wonderings for a moment. Considering that he was convicted of burning the Countess Nadia’s husband alive, it was quite the coincidence that both parties would arrive on her doorstep on the same night, within moments of each other, in fact.

 _Coincidences like that usually aren’t really coincidences._ Reia sighed again as she tossed the pillow aside and kicked her feet over the side of the cot, the thought of the ruler of Vesuvia enough to spur her forward. She couldn’t afford to indulge any longer in her musings about a certain potentially homicidal fugitive.

While Reia knew the general way to the palace, the journey would likely take the better part of the day when made on foot. She would need to leave soon if she wanted to arrive before dark, and she had a feeling that the Countess was not one to take being kept waiting lightly, or kindly.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Reia shook her head, trying to clear the fog that had drifted over her mind after leaving her shop. She remembered securing the door and beginning to walk down the street, but everything afterwards was… fuzzy. Reia blinked in surprise when she arrived at the outskirts of the upper Market, several minutes brisk walk from her home, with little memory of the journey there.

Grimacing, Reia tried to suppress her distress at the sudden lapse. She had so many unknowns in her past already, her mind a miasma of half-forgotten people and places, wisps of dreams that may or may not be true recollections. These gaping wounds in her own personal history had caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her past. Only her memories of the last three years had been, until this point, vivid, clear, and therefore trustworthy. For Reia to find such blankness in her recent memory brought the sour, burning taste of bile to the back of her throat, and she had to breath deeply for several moments before the feeling of bitter, crippling hopelessness passed.

 _Steady on, old girl, just breath through it, like Asra said. It will pass._ Reia chided herself, dashing away the few errant tears that had managed to snake down her cheeks. _You’ve got things to do today, important people to see! Now’s not the time to lose your nerve._ Squaring her shoulders, Reia took one last deep, steadying breath, and walked resolutely forward, into the upper Market. 

What the upper Market lacked in size, when compared to its counterpart in the low district of the city, it made up for in the quality and uniqueness of its offerings. Here where the merchants that the wealthy and the nobility patronized, impeccable store fronts of clean, smooth stone with vast windows of clear glass, displaying lush furs, brilliantly dyed fabrics, and polished gold and silver fittings. They stood resplendent amidst their more mundane neighbors, shops and stalls housing the merchants frequented by servants of the great households of the nobility, procuring the supplies needed to keep the upper echelons of Vesuvia society in luxury.

Reia tried to distract herself from her recent melancholy, pausing to have a quick word with one of her favorite bakers as he displayed great round loaves of bread, crunchy crusts warm from the ovens, on racks before his shopfront. She begged off his offer of fresh pumpkin bread with no small amount of regret, and continued to press on, towards the main square of the Market.

The harsh call of a corvid dragged at Reia’s attention as she walked along, dodging the odd cart as it trundled along through the crowded street. Pushing back the hood of her cowl, she scanned the rooftops, eyes alighting on the large raven, perched atop the brightly colored awning shading a vender and their produce. The great bird shook its head, puffing out glossy black feathers that shone with iridescent greens, purples, and blues as the sun’s rays glanced off them.

The sharp beak opened, another croaking “caw” issuing forth as the raven launched itself into the air, great wings flapping. Reia followed its flight, eyes tracking its path through the sky as it alighted on the rooftop of a store several doors down, on the opposite side of the street. As her gaze slid across, Reia’s eyes caught on another flash of darkness, stark against the bright colors of the marketplace.

She would have recognized him, regardless of the huge black overcoat sweeping along behind him as he drifted, lazily strolling along with the flow of traffic. The sun set fire to the hints of copper and mahogany hidden in the auburn hair, curling over pale skin, the eyepatch a dark smudge across his face.

 _Julian Devorak, the most wanted man in all Vesuvia, is walking through the upper Market. In the middle of the bloody day._ Reia stared, shocked at the boldness of the action. _Without his mask, face bare for all the world to see. Well, if I doubted his sanity before, there is no question now. This man is either insane or has a death wish!_

Reia could see that he had not yet noticed her presence, the press of the crowded Market serving to shield her from his gaze as he swept along. Without conscious thought, Reia began to trail after the doctor as he meandered towards the square. She cast her eyes about, searching for the guardsmen that were always present here, surprised at the absence of even a hint of the polished steel helmets or dull blue uniforms they wore.

The sharp cry of the raven, forgotten until that moment, drew Reia’s attention back to the fugitive as he sauntered through one on the most public places in the city, seemingly without care. She could see the Doctor start at the sound, face turned up to the where the corvid lingered, then back down to sweep the crowds with a sharp, searching gaze. She witnessed the shock and surprise play over his face as his eye found her own across the throngs of people that separated them.

Reia ignored the little thrill, almost electric, that ran like fingers down her spine when she caught his gaze. At the same moment their eyes met, a sharp pain at her feet drew a cry from Reia’s lips, and she danced back from the handcart, laden with great strands of garlic, that had just rolled squarely over her toes.

“Damnit!” Reia muttered under her breath, blinking tears from her eyes as she hopped from foot to foot to dispel the sting. She waved the apologetic carter off, but the elusive doctor has already made good his escape by the time she thought to look for him. Even the raven had taken the opportunity to flee.  

 _And what would you have done if you had caught him? You’re smarter than this! The man’s accused of murder and you follow him like a puppy, foolish girl!_ Reia snorted, amused at her own folly, then turned to continue on up towards the palace, taking her away from the more populated streets of the Market square and into an alley.

As she passed a small stall, draped with fabric embellished with silver moons and stars, Reia bumped into a young woman as she exited, muttering to herself about lucky numbers. As Reia reached out to steady the woman, the basket resting against her hip tipped, spilling out plump, burgundy fruit from under the pale cloth covering the contents.

“Oh no!” The strange woman cried out, hand outstretched in vain to stop the large pomegranates from rolling along the stone pavers of the alley. She dropped the basket, scurrying about on hands and knees to collect the fallen fruits before they can be trampled underfoot. As Reia knelt to assist her, the woman glanced up, shooting her a bright smile, sky blue eyes snapping with humor.

“Thanks so much!” The woman chimed as Reia dropped the last of the pomegranates into the basket. “It would have been bad if they got bruised because I wasn’t paying attention.” She paused, seeming to mull over something to herself, before reaching back into the basket to offer one to the retrieved fruit to Reia.

“Here, a reward for your help, even after I bumped into you!” The woman stated with a wink, the freckled skin of her button nose scrunched up in a smile that warmed her eyes. With a wave and a toss of copper curls, she turned, headed back towards the loud bustle of the Market.

“That was Portia.” The thin, reedy voice issued forth from the stall beside Reia. As she glanced to the side, eyeing the owner of the voice, Reia noted that the stall was that of a fortune teller and smiled at the memories of her own days in such a place, when she first met Asra.

“She’s the Countess’ favorite servant, you know.” The voice continued, as the fortune teller emerged from the shade of the stall. “And you? You look like a wanderer. Care to have your fortune read, dearie? Find out what the fates have in store for you?”

Reia chuckled softly under her breath, thinking about the events of the last day. “No thanks,” she replied, “I think it might be better to not know, in my case.”

“As you wish, dear. But know this… your fate will come to you either way, whether you know it or not.” The fortune teller said, golden teeth glinting in the shadows. “A bright future awaits you.”

“I hope you’re right.” Reia said gently as she turned away with a nod to the old fortune teller. “I hope you’re right.”       


End file.
